Clark wraps up BOA challenge <a name=wrapup>on</a> high note on clarkhoward.com

Clark wrapped up his Bank of America challenge today, after hitting the $50 million mark on our BOA “Money Loss Meter.” The bank never budged from its position, but hopefully company execs learned a lesson in customer service from the thousands of customers who withdrew more than $50 million in protest. Clark also talked to Matthew Shinnick, the San Francisco man whose arrest prompted Clark to take action. Matthew has been on CNN and done several newspaper interviews, helping to spread the word about what happened to him and how BOA responded. For the back story, click here. The sad part is that Bank of America never thought of apologizing to Matthew or doing the right thing. It is the most arrogant, stupid, mean-spirited response from a company that Clark has ever witnessed. So, in the hopes of doing his part to help Matthew, Clark is going to give Matthew $7,000 to help recover the money he spent on legal fees. In the wake of the story, Clark had asked BOA to pay the other half - $7,000 – so they would split the cost to make Matthew whole again. But BOA refused. The company blew it big time on this one and will have to live with that.

Hear the final segment

What others are saying

I too have a check to verify what should I do?
I too have a check that I need to verify is real. I was thinking of doing the same thing but after reading this I don't know what to do.....
By Nervous Teen @ 10/20/09 01:18:18 AMreport abuse
morgan
i got a check drawing on bank of american.how can i verify if it real or not.i am afaird to take the thing to the bank since that happen to that guy is a shame.could he take them to the federal court and sue the court fee could be wavied he could do it for free for more info http://makemoneyfreebook.blogspot.com/
By robert @ 10/06/09 11:41:27 PMreport abuse
CUSTOMER SERVICE
My husband had to go through the same thing AFTER I verified w/ BoA that the check could be cashed there. He went to a different branch since I couldn't cashed it myself due to my driver's license was less than 90 days old. I'm thinking to sue BoA to get our expenses back which only come up less than $5,000 but I don't know if we're going to get it or not. My husband's case was never even went to court, it got dismissed & we're in the process to get it expunge. In my opinion if BoA can verify the check was fraudulent or not they certainly can verify that the person trying to cash it is the victim or the criminal. I'm pretty sure 99% of them are probably the victims because the criminal is usually not that stupid to get caught since they're the ones who make the fraudulent checks. Also, they actually asked my husband where he got the checks from, so why can't they at least verify the story to see if it's true or not. There's no customer service at all. I work at a small bank & we usually just confiscated the checks if it's fraudulent because we don't know if the customer is the victim or not & why would we let them go through all those trouble.
That's what CUSTOMER SERVICE should be, serving the customer not give them trouble.
I never had an account w/ BoA & I'm greatfull for that. I was thinking to open one before this happened but now there's no way I'm giving them my money.
By atj @ 08/04/09 09:36:36 PMreport abuse
Goodbye BoA
I have had a very long relationship w/ BoA. I have been listening to the podcast for about a year and a half - every single one. I am just now learning of this story thanks to wikipedia.org. My first checking account was w/ Nationsbank as a teenager, I helped my then girlfriend, now wife to also open her accounts there; accounts we still have today. My first credit card from college was MBNA, and I still have that account. Notice the pattern? They were bought/merged and are now Bank of America accounts. My mortgage is w/ BoA. I've had a token credit union savings account for less than a year that I've hardly used. I'm definitely moving everything I can away from BoA. I find it shocking that so much money has gone from everyday Americans to Bomb of America through our government. They used to just destroy individuals, lately they are destroying us all collectively. Insane. That's the end of my decade and a half relationship!
By Will @ 07/18/09 03:56:17 PMreport abuse
pathetic behavior by BOA
Bad news travels fast, wide, and is sticky. I only learned of this Shinnick issue today, but am leaving BOA immediately. You know, you have to be a really big jerk to not even apologize!
By John A @ 05/08/09 06:10:05 PMreport abuse
BOA closing account
Am closing my BOA Commercial account. BOA can kiss $500k annually away.
By Wes J @ 03/29/09 01:57:33 AMreport abuse
BOA Stinks
I tried (for an hour) to open a commercial account with BOA with no success. So after totally botching the job and opening up an account that was useless, it too another hour to close it. BOA is the AOL of banks... no point in dealing with them when you have good banks.
By Austin @ 01/15/09 11:57:26 PMreport abuse
BOA
BOA has ALWAYS been this crass. I still remember in the 1970's how they refused to give a loan to one of the actors that had done commercials for them! It was all in the news at the time. I and I hope others have a LONG memory
By Ken Kitlas @ 08/01/08 07:58:50 PMreport abuse
Bank of America
Bank of America executives will all go to Hell for what they have done. They are selfish to the point of no end.
By Lauren @ 05/09/08 11:05:11 AMreport abuse

I too have a check to verify what should I do?

I too have a check that I need to verify is real. I was thinking of doing the same thing but after reading this I don't know what to do.....

By Nervous Teen @ 10/20/09 01:18:18 AMreport abuse

morgan

i got a check drawing on bank of american.how can i verify if it real or not.i am afaird to take the thing to the bank since that happen to that guy is a shame.could he take them to the federal court and sue the court fee could be wavied he could do it for free for more info http://makemoneyfreebook.blogspot.com/

By robert @ 10/06/09 11:41:27 PMreport abuse

CUSTOMER SERVICE

My husband had to go through the same thing AFTER I verified w/ BoA that the check could be cashed there. He went to a different branch since I couldn't cashed it myself due to my driver's license was less than 90 days old. I'm thinking to sue BoA to get our expenses back which only come up less than $5,000 but I don't know if we're going to get it or not. My husband's case was never even went to court, it got dismissed & we're in the process to get it expunge. In my opinion if BoA can verify the check was fraudulent or not they certainly can verify that the person trying to cash it is the victim or the criminal. I'm pretty sure 99% of them are probably the victims because the criminal is usually not that stupid to get caught since they're the ones who make the fraudulent checks. Also, they actually asked my husband where he got the checks from, so why can't they at least verify the story to see if it's true or not. There's no customer service at all. I work at a small bank & we usually just confiscated the checks if it's fraudulent because we don't know if the customer is the victim or not & why would we let them go through all those trouble.
That's what CUSTOMER SERVICE should be, serving the customer not give them trouble.
I never had an account w/ BoA & I'm greatfull for that. I was thinking to open one before this happened but now there's no way I'm giving them my money.

By atj @ 08/04/09 09:36:36 PMreport abuse

Goodbye BoA

I have had a very long relationship w/ BoA. I have been listening to the podcast for about a year and a half - every single one. I am just now learning of this story thanks to wikipedia.org. My first checking account was w/ Nationsbank as a teenager, I helped my then girlfriend, now wife to also open her accounts there; accounts we still have today. My first credit card from college was MBNA, and I still have that account. Notice the pattern? They were bought/merged and are now Bank of America accounts. My mortgage is w/ BoA. I've had a token credit union savings account for less than a year that I've hardly used. I'm definitely moving everything I can away from BoA. I find it shocking that so much money has gone from everyday Americans to Bomb of America through our government. They used to just destroy individuals, lately they are destroying us all collectively. Insane. That's the end of my decade and a half relationship!

By Will @ 07/18/09 03:56:17 PMreport abuse

pathetic behavior by BOA

Bad news travels fast, wide, and is sticky. I only learned of this Shinnick issue today, but am leaving BOA immediately. You know, you have to be a really big jerk to not even apologize!

By John A @ 05/08/09 06:10:05 PMreport abuse

BOA closing account

Am closing my BOA Commercial account. BOA can kiss $500k annually away.

By Wes J @ 03/29/09 01:57:33 AMreport abuse

BOA Stinks

I tried (for an hour) to open a commercial account with BOA with no success. So after totally botching the job and opening up an account that was useless, it too another hour to close it. BOA is the AOL of banks... no point in dealing with them when you have good banks.

By Austin @ 01/15/09 11:57:26 PMreport abuse

BOA

BOA has ALWAYS been this crass. I still remember in the 1970's how they refused to give a loan to one of the actors that had done commercials for them! It was all in the news at the time. I and I hope others have a LONG memory

By Ken Kitlas @ 08/01/08 07:58:50 PMreport abuse

Bank of America

Bank of America executives will all go to Hell for what they have done. They are selfish to the point of no end.

By Lauren @ 05/09/08 11:05:11 AMreport abuse

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Oct 25, 2006 -- Clark wraps up BOA challenge on high note

What others are saying